The Corridor 67 annual meeting could certainly have been wrought with woes of insufficient funding when it comes to financing the integral pathway to many counties.

But politicians and officials remained diligent that they would continue to pursue efforts to continue progress along U.S. 67.

First among the speakers was U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin, who said the way government has to approach things such as roads and bridges in the present day must change as the world has over the years.

“We’re dealing with a resource problem, the Highway Trust Fund itself,” Durbin said. “The problem has been created because of a good thing having happened. Our cars and trucks are more fuel-efficient than they ever were. We can ride the same miles each year and use less gas. The federal tax is collected by the gallon. Eighty percent of highway construction in Illinois comes out of the Highway Trust Fund.”

Electric cars are another change that has directly the fund, he said, and as the technology becomes greater the problem will worsen. Congress has imposed extensions and stop-gap measures, but Durbin said a permanent transportation is needed.

Good news could be in the offing, however.

“About six or eight weeks ago, an unusual coalition was formed,” he explained. The coalition consisted of Barbara Boxer, chairman of the public works committee in the Senate, Durbin and Sen. Mitch McConnell. “Go figure. We decided that we would try to put together a long-term highway bill that we haven’t had in eight years.”

Durbin said a bill was constructed with the satisfaction of the coalition that passed the Senate offering a six-year authorization with three-year funding and a 3percent growth each year. The House pronounced the bill dead on arrival, though. After pressure from various groups, the House will soon be designing its own version of the bill — which Durbin hopes will be a step in the right direction for repairing aging infrastructure.

“When we get our act together locally, when we speak with one voice, when we have a plan,” he said. “When we tell legislators of both political parties where we’re headed and how we need them, it makes life dramatically easier for us.

Christine Reid, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Transportation, said the department is doing its best to gauge the needs of each community. For example, she noted that the department went on a listening tour across the state to hear comments from within the communities.

Reid said the focus should be on the needs instead of on one particular project at the expense of others.

“We need your help because one of the things we really need to do is take care of our infrastructure needs,” she said. “We need to develop metrics to help us identify projects so if your project doesn’t get funded, you know why and you can make it better and fight for funding. … Ultimately in the end, infrastructure isn’t a goal, it’s a strategy.”

Reid noted the stress the lack of a state budget has put on local transportation departments, because it is difficult to plan ahead for future projects.

Sen. Darin LaHood said that even though U.S. 67 doesn’t run through his district, he understands the importance of the issue.

“The commitment and dedication of people within this coalition is impressive,” LaHood said.

State Rep. Norine Hammond applauded the Corridor 67 group — which has advocated for completion of a project that would result in the four-laning of the route — for its push. She said it’s incumbent upon the state to find a sustainable revenue stream to take care of its infrastructure.

“We know it’s at least $1.8 billion a year to sustain what we currently have,” Hammond said. “It makes no sense to build new if you can’t take care of what you have.”